Manon

Jules Massenet

Victoria de los Ángeles, Henri Legay, Chorus and Orchestra of the Théâtre National de l'Opéra-Comique (Pierre Monteux, cond.)

"My Heart Was Frivolous and Fickle"

This work, the jewel in the otherwise ordinary output of French composer Jules Massenet (1842–1912), is considered a high point of opéra comique. That's not because it's funny: The form takes its name from a particular theater in Paris (the Opéra-Comique), which is smaller than the city's main houses. Because of its size, works written for that venue had the option of spoken dialogue. Massenet skillfully took full advantage of that possibility, using rich orchestral underscoring to soften the transitions between spoken and sung portions of the narrative.

Manon is based on a popular French novel about an attractive young woman fresh from the convent (Manon, sung here by the divine Victoria de los Ángeles) who falls in love with a young man, des Grieux (Henri Legay), from a high-born family. They run off together, and are happily living in poverty when the man's family intervenes, offering Manon a sizable quantity of money to allow them to kidnap him. This sets up the rest of the action, a series of mishaps and foibles embedded with allegorical lessons on love and greed. The couple is split up, and after she has some high-living years, she goes to the seminary and lures des Grieux back. The fourth act finds the couple in a casino, desperately gambling to maintain their lifestyle. Caught cheating, they're sent to prison. As Manon dies in poverty, she sings about how foolish she's been, and how she always loved him.

Tour several of Manon's spectacular arias, and you may grow curious to experience the entire opera. The first (and perhaps most memorable) moment happens in Act 2, when Manon, having agreed to the abduction, reflects on the broken romance while gazing at the small table where she and des Grieux took their meals. "Adieu, notre petite table" is like a frozen moment in a film—Massenet slows down the action long enough to let his heroine explore her conflicted emotions, and all that the table represents.

Manon's last big aria, in Act 5, is more intense. Through her shadings and inflections, Victoria de los Angeles communicates the upheavals and setbacks her character endures. Earlier in the work, she plays Manon to accentuate femininity, moving from her natural lyric-soprano voice into a coquettish, rapid coloratura. By the final aria, the circumstances have completely changed, and de los Angeles modulates her singing accordingly. She's resigned and sad, moving with heavy heart toward the key climactic notes. The conductor Thomas Beecham once said he'd "happily give up all the Brandenburg Concertos for Manon." This performance can help you understand why.

Genre: Opera
Released: 1955, EMI (Reissued 2000, Testament)
Key Tracks: "Adieu, notre petite table," "Quelle éloquence!"
Catalog Choice: Werther
Next Stop: Georges Bizet: Carmen
After That: Giuseppe Verdi: Il trovatore, Maria Callas, Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala (Herbert von Karajan, cond.)
Book Page: 481